Couples reaps record
haul in skins game

INDIO (CALIFORNIA), Nov 29: Fred couples would rather not have played ...more

E Bengal in semis
of Durand Football

NEW DELHI, Nov 29: Strong contenders East Bengal rode on a second......more

Queensland canter home
as Indians give up fight

BRISBANE, Nov 29: Indian bowlers failed to extract any milage from...more

Inter-school Athletics
GHSS Gandhi Nagar bags
overall trophy in U-19

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 29: Government Higher Secondary School, Gandhi Nagar ....more

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 29: NGR Club defeated New Bharat 3-2 in the inaugural 2nd Sher-e-Kashmir Cup......more

Open Squash Champ
Dinesh beat Krishan 3-0, to
meet Arshad in final today

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 29: Dinesh Chopra outplayed Krishan Sharma in straight games....more

Inter-college Cricket
Dhruv, Tarun lead PG
Arts to 85 runs victory
over Rajouri

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 29: Ranji player, Dhruv Mahajan and Tarun led Post Graduate....more

Couples reaps record haul in skins game

INDIO (CALIFORNIA), Nov 29: Fred couples would rather not have played at all but he made the most of his opportunity with a record 635,000 dollars haul over two days in the 1999 skins game.

Couples, a replacement in the lucrative four-player event for U.S. open champion Payne Stewart who was killed in an October plane crash, sank a 12-foot Birdie Putt on the 18th hole at the Landmark Golf Club that alone was worth 410,000 dollars.

That Putt provided the largest payoff for winning a hole in skins game history. Couples’s yesterday total of 510,000 dollars and his overall take for the two days were also skins game records.

In addition to the four skins he picked up on 18, couples began the day by winning the 10th hole with a two-foot birdie that gave him two skins and 100,000 dollars.

"The hardest thing to do is win a hole. You never know what’s going to happen," said couples.

In all, couples, who led with five skins after Saturday’s first nine holes, won 11 skins over two days.

"I say it every time, there’s a lot of luck involved," added couples. "It’s a totally different game."

Mark O’Meara finished second with a total of five skins and 245,000 dollars after picking up three skins and 170,000 dollars with a 40-foot Birdie Putt on the 13th hole.

O’Meara held the previous skins game record haul, winning 430,000 dollars last year.

Spaniard Sergio Garcia picked up one skin yesterday with a two-foot Birdie Putt on 14 that paid 70,000 dollars. The exciting 19-year-old finished with two skins and 120,000 dollars.

David Duval was shut out for the second day. (REUTERS)

E Bengal in semis of Durand Football

NEW DELHI, Nov 29: Strong contenders East Bengal rode on a second half brace by forward Dipankar Roy to beat Border Security Force 3-0 and reach the semifinals of the Durand Football Tournament here today.

Roy piled on skipper Carlton Chapman’s 32nd minute lead with two fine goals in the 55th and 81st minute as the Calcutta outfit played well below par due to injuries to key players but still managed to score a comfortable victory in a group C encounter at the Dr Ambedkar stadium here.

The victory gave East Bengal, which beat PSEB by the same margin yesterday, six points from two wins in the three-team group and a place in the last four. They will now take on the winner of group A which will be decided by the outcome of tomorrow’s clash between JCT, Phagwara and Bhutan XI.

Earlier, a 40th minute penalty conversion by Pritam Rai helped qualifiers Gorkha Brigade score an upset 1-0 victory over FC Kochin in an inconsequential group B clash.

Both the teams were out of contention as Salgaocar Club, Goa had already made it to the semi-finals from this group with two wins in as many matches.

East Bengal employed safety-first’ tactics against BSF as three of its players including Chapman were not fully fit and with six players doing national duty at Abu Dhabi in the Asian qualifiers, coach Subhash Bhowmick had very few options.

But the Calcutta outfit still dominated and could have won by a bigger margin but for the waywardness of forwards Raman Vijayan and Kennedy. (PTI)

Queensland canter home as Indians give up fight

BRISBANE, Nov 29: Indian bowlers failed to extract any milage from the rain interruption after their batsmen had caved in yesterday as Queensland duly completed a comprehensive 10-wicket win on the fourth morning of the opening tour match here today.

With Queensland victory a forgone conclusion after Indian batsmen were dismissed for 204 runs in their second eassy on the third day at the Gabba, the visiting pace bowlers hardly did anything to trouble the home batsmen and take some consolation wickets.

Starting the required chase of 81 runs this morning, Queensland survived a sharp shower of 20 minutes and still made it in time before lunch.

Home captain Stuart Law promoted himself up the order with Jim Maher and the two played sensibly with the former being in particularly good touch. Law remained unbeaten on 60, striking as many as 14 fours.

The two Indian bowlers Venkatesh Prasad and Debashish Mohanty initially bowled a tidy length in helpful conditions but there was no way the Indians could stop the home team in their tracks.

The Indians made 277 and 204 in their two innings and had conceded 124 runs on first innings to Queensland who made 401 in their first knock.

Only after eight overs by the opening bowlers, a period in which Queensland got 29 runs, first innings hero T Kumaran was introduced to the attack and he did start with a maiden.

Kumaran had bagged five wickets for 68 runs in the first innings to lay his claim for a test cap against Australia.

Law mostly struck boundaries and a particularly forcing offside stroke off Prasad was a beauty.

Throughout the match, the home batsmen stood at least a foot outside the stumps while batting. The intention was to cut down on the swing of the bowlers and deny them leg before decision. It seemed a sound policy specially because the Indians do not have the pace to worry top quality batsmen.

At the end of the first hour’s play, Queensland were none for 45 with stuart law being on 36. Queenslands 50 came off 65 minutes in 13.2 overs.

Soon thereafter, rain came and held up the game for 30 minutes.

On resumption, law completed his half century. In all, he had batted 90 minutes and hit 14 fours off 65 balls. This is his 61st first class half century.

In the process, he also completed 7,000 runs playing for Queensland.

Queensland needed 12 runs from the last over before lunch to complete the formality. Maher and law did the needful striking Kumaran for three fours to post the win. (PTI)

2nd Sher-e-Kashmir Cup
NGR Club beat New Bharat in opening Football tie

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 29: NGR Club defeated New Bharat 3-2 in the inaugural 2nd Sher-e-Kashmir Cup Football Tournament which began at Mini-Stadium, Parade, here today.

Kuldeep Sharma scored the first goal in the 5th minutes for the winners after getting a pass from Harvinder singh who was positioned at centre-forward.

The goal was soon equalised by New Bharat in the 8th minute through Rajesh Kumar who kicked the ball into the net after getting a pass from Raj Kumar. NGR again took lead in the 28th minute when Pawan Kumar scored the goal to make it 2-1 at the end of the first half.

After the breather, NGR scored another goal through Ranjit Sharma in the 45th minute of the match. It was followed by a dilly dallying game from both sides.

New Bharat reduced the margin in the 64th minute when Rajesh Kumar converted the ball into the net after getting a pass from Pankaj.

Messrs Nazir Ahmed, David Masih, P K Dass and Mohan Khokhar officiated the opening tie.

Earlier, the tournament was inaugurated by Mr Ram Pal, Parliamentary Secretary and Minister of State for Urban Development.

Prominent among those present on the occasion included Sheikh Fazal Ahmed, Secretary, J&K State Sports Council, Gafoor Masih, Dr Nirmolak Singh, Shiv Pal, Arun Sharma, Amarjit, Majid Kakroo, Waris Gill and Feastus Sotra.